Cozy Fantasy, much like it's relative "cozy mystery," have two elements: a magical element, and a cozy or relaxing vibe. These books can span from slight magical realism, to a full on world of talking animals. The stakes may be as high as a deal with a devil or a murder mystery, or may be as mundane as an orc abandoning a life of crime to open a coffee shop. But no matter the stakes, cozy fantasy is charming, relaxing, and the perfect story to pair with a cup of tea and some fall weather!
Shady Hollow
Black, Juneau, author.
MYSTERY Black Juneau
"The first book in the Shady Hollow series, in which we are introduced to the village of Shady Hollow, a place where woodland creatures live together in harmony--until a curmudgeonly toad turns up dead and the local reporter has to solve the case. Reporter Vera Vixen is a relative newcomer to Shady Hollow. The fox has a nose for news, so when she catches wind that the death might be a murder, she resolves to get to the bottom of the case, no matter where it leads. As she stirs up still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and discovers that additional lives are in jeopardy. Vera finds more to this town than she ever suspected. It seems someone in the Hollow will do anything to keep her from solving the murder, and soon it will take all of Vera's cunning and quickness to crack the case"--
Legends & lattes : a novel of high fantasy and low stakes
Baldree, Travis, 1977- author.
SCIENCE FICTION Baldree Travis
"The much-beloved BookTok sensation from Travis Baldree, Legends & Lattes is a novel of high fantasy and low stakes. *The new paperback edition will include a very special, never-before-seen bonus story, 'Pages to Fill.'* Come take a load off at Viv's cafe, the first & only coffee shop in Thune. Grand opening! Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv, the orc barbarian, cashes out of the warrior's life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen. However, her dreams of a fresh start filling mugs instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune's shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners, and a different kind of resolve. "Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read."-Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart"--
The ultimate cozy fantasy, this book has helped to define the genre. This is such a wholesome story about an Orc finding friendship and love while running a business and introducing her magical world to coffee. If you've already enjoyed this book, be sure to pick up the prequel, Bookshops and Bonedust, coming out this month!
- Bailey
Emily Wilde's encyclopaedia of faeries
Fawcett, Heather (Heather M.), author.
SCIENCE FICTION Fawcett, Heather
"In the early 1900s, a curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town to study faerie folklore, where she discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love. Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on dryadology, the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encylopedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--much less get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog Shadow, and the Fair Folk to that of friends or lovers. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hransvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: the dashing and insufferably handsome Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of her research, and utterly confound and frustrate Emily. But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart"--
This whimsical book swept me away! I loved all of the faerie lore included in this book and I couldn't help but be reminded of Howl's Moving Castle, both in setting and the relationship dynamic between our two main characters. This was adorable and perfect for a cold autumn night.
- Bailey
The very secret society of irregular witches
Mandanna, Sangu, author.
SCIENCE FICTION Mandanna Sangu
"A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family--and a new love--changes the course of her life. As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules... with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously. But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and... Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat. As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for..."--
This romance-fantasy is such a fun tale of magic and love as Mika Moon finds herself caring for and training three young witches. The children are adorable and the found family amongst the adults warms my heart! This book is a love letter to chosen family and a perfect witchy read for the season!
- Bailey
The unfortunate side effects of heartbreak and magic : a novel
Randall, Breanne, author.
FICTION Randall Breanne
For fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is a debut novel that explores the shields we build around our hearts to retain our own magic. Sadie Revelare has always believed that the curse of four heartbreaks that accompanies her magic would be worth the price. But when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer with only weeks to live, and her first heartbreak, Jake McNealy, returns to town after a decade, her carefully structured life begins to unravel. With the news of their grandmother's impending death, Sadie's estranged twin brother Seth returns to town, bringing with him deeply buried family secrets that threaten to tear Sadie's world apart. Their grandmother has been the backbone of the family for generations, and with her death, Sadie isn't sure she'll have the strength to keep the family, and her magic, together. As feelings for Jake begin to rekindle, and her grandmother growing sicker by the day, Sadie faces the last of her heartbreaks, and she has to decide: is love more important than magic? Readers who love the magic of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and the sense of community found in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches will enjoy this warm, witchy novel.
A new release I'm excited to dive into this season, this book is said to have the small-town vibes of Gilmore Girls with a magical twist!
- Bailey
Spells for forgetting
Young, Adrienne, 1985- author.
FICTION Young, Adrienne
"Emery Blackwood's life was forever changed on the eve of her high school graduation, when the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her best friend, Lily. Now, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence among the community that fractured her world in two. She'd once longed to run away with August, eager to escape the misty, remote shores of Saiorse Island and chase new dreams; now, she maintains her late mother's tea shop and cares for her ailing father. But just as the island, rooted in folklore and tradition, begins to show signs of strange happenings, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that no one wants to remember. August Salt knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night that changed everything. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother's ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from the past that has never healed-Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises that span generations threatens to reveal the truth behind Lily's death once and for all"--
Set on a magical island, this setting and enchanting story sounds perfect to take in on a foggy fall morning!
- Bailey
Gods of jade and shadow : a novel
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia, author.
SCIENCE FICTION Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
"The Mayan God of Death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore"--
The setting in this novel is transporting and magical as Casiopea is whisked away from her small town in southern Mexico by a God of Death. The prose has a mystical, fairy tale quality to it that reminds me of a cool autumn night.
- Bailey
Witch of wild things
Vasquez Gilliland, Raquel, author.
FICTION Vasquezg Raquel
"With rare plants to find, a dead sister who keeps bringing her coffee, and another sister whose anger fills the sky with lightning, Sage doesn't have time for romance. Sage Flores has an affinity for plants, but it wasn't enough to save her younger sister Sky's life. She ran from the tragedy, only to return to her hometown eight years later. Like slipping into an old, comforting sweater, Sage takes back her job at Cranberry Rose Company and uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the surrounding lands. What should be a simple task is complicated by her partner in botany sleuthing: Tennessee Reyes. He broke her heart in high school, and she never fully recovered. Working together is reminding her of all their past tender, genuine moments-and new feelings for this mature sexy man are starting to take root in her heart. But being with Tenn is like standing in the middle of a field on the cusp of a summer thunderstorm-supercharged and inevitable" --
Vampires of El Norte
Cañas, Isabel, author.
FICTION Canas Isabel
"As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters--her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead. Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago. Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind. When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion--and Nena's rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago--is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh. And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn" --
Though more on the horror side of this list, this gothic tale features a beautiful love story between Nena and Nestor, childhood friends split apart years ago after Nestor presumes Nena dead. Though darker than others on this list, this book is perfect for those who are looking for something a little less light-hearted and wholesome, but remain within the realm of cozy rather than scary.
- Bailey
The undertaking of Hart and Mercy
Bannen, Megan, author.
SCIENCE FICTION Bannen Megan
"Hart Ralston is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the wasteland of Tanria, hunting for drudges. It's an unforgiving job, and Hart's got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness. Mercy Birdsall never has a moment to herself. She's been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat - despite definitely not being a son - in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart Ralston, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to "A Friend". Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born. If only Hart knew he's been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most - Mercy. As the unlikely pen pals grow closer, so does the danger posed by the drudges. And suddenly their old animosity seems so small compared to what they might be able to do: end the drudges forever. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares - each other?"--
Piranesi
Clarke, Susanna, author.
FICTION Clarke Susanna
"From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality. Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house. There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known. For readers of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds"--
One of my all-time favorite books, this novel has a dreamlike and almost haunted quality to it. Immerse yourself in Piranesi's world and discover for yourself the ingenious story of Piranesi and the labyrinth.
- Bailey
The house witch
Delemhach, author.
SCIENCE FICTION Delemhach
"When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he's an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. He's satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals. But Fin's secret identity doesn't stay hidden for long. After all, it's not every day a house witch and his kitten familiar, Kraken, take to meddling in imperial affairs. As his powers are gradually discovered by the court, Fin finds himself involved in a slew of intrigues: going head-to-head with knights with less-than-chivalrous intentions, helping to protect the pregnant queen, fending off the ire of the royal mage, and uncovering a spy in the castle. And that's only the beginning--because Fin's past is catching up with him just as his love life is getting complicated..." --
The empress of salt and fortune
Vo, Nghi, author.
SCIENCE FICTION Vo Nghi
"A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully. Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for."--Provided by publisher.
This novella series is a love letter to storytelling and the importance of remembering and honoring our memories. My personal favorite is the second in this series, but I recommend them all!
- Bailey
Enchanted to meet you
Cabot, Meg, author.
FICTION Cabot Meg
"In her teenage years, lovelorn Jessica Gold cast a spell that went disastrously wrong, and brought her all the wrong kind of attention--as well as a lifetime ban from the World Council of Witches. So no one is more surprised than Jess when, fifteen years later, tall, handsome WCW member Derrick Winters shows up in her quaint little village of West Harbor and claims that Jess is the Chosen One. Not chosen by West Harbor's snobby elite to style them for the town's tricentennial ball--though Jess owns the chicest clothing boutique in town. And not chosen finally to be on the WCW, either--not that Jess would have said yes, anyway, since she's done with any organization that tries to dictate what makes a "true" witch. No, Jess has been chosen to help save West Harbor itself... But just when Jess is beginning to think that she and Derrick might have a certain magic of their own--and not of the supernatural variety--Jess learns he may not be who she thought he was. And suddenly Jess finds herself having to make another kind of choice: trust Derrick and work with him to combat the sinister force battling to bring down West Harbor, or use her gift as she always has: to keep herself, and her heart, safe"--
This book is like if the movie 'Halloweentown' was written for adults. Funny, witchy, and a little over-the-top in the best way. I flew through this one and had such a fun time reading it!
- Bailey
A river enchanted : a novel
Ross, Rebecca (Rebecca J.), author.
SCIENCE FICTION Ross Rebecca
Jack Tamerlaine hasn't stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack's childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard's music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls. As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all. --
With Rebecca Ross' YA book "Divine Rivals" all the rage, I'm excited to see what she offers in this fantasy duology that sounds like a whimsical adult fairy tale.
- Bailey
This cozy murder mystery has a twist: Shady Hollow is a world full of woodland creatures! I have found this series to be so charming, with such a fun cast of characters and a small-town setting that is the perfect back drop to a murder mystery.
- Bailey